Rocking on my back porch, I’ve been drenched this summer with my garden’s fragrance even as it fights valiantly to keep at bay the Texas humidity. Sipping my dark-roasted coffee and inhaling its aroma, I glance occasionally at the backside of a plump naked woman with wild grey hair who is happily skipping on a white sandy beach. Arms outstretched to the sun rising over the sparking blue ocean water, she epitomizes the caption on my coffee cup -- “Free at last!”
A retirement gift from a thoughtful friend, the grey-haired woman gone wild mug symbolizes the change in my life from the teaching occupation that I once loved to a different season that I also love. I’m grateful for this season; I was also grateful for the other. Both have been full, spilling over with purpose and friends and joy.
So today, as my former fellow-teachers begin the first day of a new year, I’m toasting them with my wild coffee mug, praying for a fabulous year, not only for them but also for my fellow retirees, and looking forward to seeing God at work in both.